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In 1941 Kawanishi was still engaged in
design of an attractive float-equipped
fighter, the Kawanishi N1K1, intended
as a naval fighter to support an island hopping
conquest in the Pacific without
dependence on carriers or shore
bases; in due course 98 of these
fighters (Allied reporting name 'Rex')
were produced. However, while their
design was still in progress Kawanishi
undertook a wheel-landing gear version,
designated the N1K1-J Shiden
(violet lightning). The prototype of the
new fighter was flown on 27 December
1942 powered by the new 18-cylinder
Nakajima Homare radial. Production
got under way in 1943 of the N1K1-J
with Homare 21 radial and an armament
of two 7.7-mm nose
guns and four 20-mm wing cannon (two
of which were carried in underwmg
fairings). Despite being plagued by
constant engine troubles and an inherently weak landing gear, the
Shiden was an excellent aircraft in
combat, proving an equal match for the
Grumman F6F Hellcat; given the reporting
name 'George' by the Allies, it
was widely considered to be one of
Japan's best wartime fighters. Three
other main production versions were
produced: the N1K1-Ja with nose guns
deleted and all cannon mounted inside
the wings; the N1K1-Jb with underwmg
racks for two 250-kg bombs;
and the N1K1-Jc with racks for four
250-kg bombs. A new version,
the N1K2-J, with improved landing
gear, redesigned airframe structure
and cleaner engine cowling,
appeared during the last year of the
war and proved even better than the
N1K1; an instance occurred when a
single Japanese pilot, Warrant Officer
Konsuke Muto, fought off 12 Hellcats,
shooting down four. A total of 1,435 N1K
Shiden landplane fighters was produced,
| MODEL | N1K2-J |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x Nakajima NK9H "Homare 21", 1365kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 4000-4860 kg | 8819 - 10715 lb |
| Empty weight | 2657 kg | 5858 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 12.0 m | 39 ft 4 in |
| Length | 9.35 m | 31 ft 8 in |
| Height | 3.96 m | 13 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 23.5 m2 | 252.95 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 585 km/h | 364 mph |
| Cruise speed | 365 km/h | 227 mph |
| Ceiling | 10760 m | 35300 ft |
| Range | 1700 km | 1056 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 4 x 20mm cannons, 500kg of bombs |
 | A three-view drawing (750 x 1025) |
| Ron, toolkeeper123(@)roadrunner.com, 12.02.2010 N1K2 best roll-rate was 82 deg/sec at 240 mph;
76 200 mph;
74 350 mph.
A6M2 " 57 100- 150 mph (for comparison).
32 340 mph
F4F-3 " 69 240 mph
F6F-3 " 68 280 mph
F6F-5 " 91 300 mph
F4U-1D " 108 "
Allied test pilots were taken by the George, summarizing it as the finest fighter-bomber in the Pacific bar none!
The Japanese felt they could fly circles around Hellcats with it. Surprisingly maneuverable and having all-around view like the A6M6 Zero but with double the high velocity punch and well protected - a bit like the cannon armed Corsair (except the U.S. Hispano 20mm was prone to jam). | | Ronald, toolkeeper123(@)adelphia.net, 25.09.2008 To Japanese Zero pilots used to pure offense, never expecting to take a hit, a big heavy complex Shiden may have seemed a lot like Western design philosophy. Armor plate protection, loaded weight approaching 10,000 lbs, engine teething troubles - what a contrast to the simple and proven A6M. Others obviously saw that the battle had changed and the Shiden was the best answer the IJN had. And for it's size it was plenty agile thanks to combat flaps and about 2,000 hp!
IT's speed and roll-rate was more competitive than that of the Zero. And firepower? 4 slow but powerful long range 20mm wing cannon to deal with well protected US Corsairs and Thunderbolts. Maybe not produced in the numbers of it's army counterpart, the Hayate, it certainly eclipsed it's stablemate, the Raiden in production. Climb rate for the N1K1-J was 3,300 ft/min. For the N1K2-J it ranges from 3,600 to 4,000 ft/min. Its like a P-47 that's light on its feet. These late-model Japanese fighter-bombers had power loadings and wing loadings that most US planes lost somewhere between their prototype and their overweight fighter-bomber models by the last year of the war. | | Mick Dunne, hotideas(@)hotmail.com, 29.12.2007 Kensuke Muto was quite a fighter Pilot, but not all the 'old hands' liked the Shiden! A lot Zero jockies strenuously resisted transfer to Genda's Shiden equipped oufits! | | Mick Dunne, hotideas(@)hotmail.com, 29.12.2007 Kensuke Muto was quite a fighter Pilot, but not all the 'old hands' liked the Shiden! A lot Zero jockies strenuously resisted transfer to Genda's Shiden equipped oufits! | | Anthony Bartolo, Starblade1123(@)aol.com, 18.09.2007 My Great-Grandfather was a B-29 copilot and half his crew is still alive and he told me that his boys encountered a v-wave of this plane and a few Ki-84 Hayates. He got pretty shot up but got home in one piece |
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